How much help will I need when I come home? Will I be able to get out of bed?

How can I make my home safer for me?

How can I make my home so it is easier to get around and do things?

How can I make it easier for myself in the bathroom and shower?

What type of supplies will I need when I get home?

Do I need to rearrange my home?

What should I do if there are steps that go to my bedroom or bathroom?

Do I need a hospital bed?

Do I need to go to a rehabilitation facility?

What are the risks or complications of the surgery?

What can I do before surgery to make the risks lower?

For which of my medical problems (diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure) do I need to see my regular provider?

Will I need a blood transfusion during or after the surgery? Isn't there a way of saving my own blood before the surgery so it can be used during the surgery?

What will the surgery and my stay in the hospital be like?

How long will the surgery last?

What type of anesthesia will be used? Are there choices to consider?

Will I be in a lot of pain after surgery? What will be done to relieve the pain?

How soon will I be getting up and moving around?

How do I get to the bathroom after surgery? Would I have a catheter in my bladder?

Will I have physical therapy in the hospital?

What other types of treatment or therapy will I have at the hospital?

How long do I need to be in the hospital?

Will I be able to walk when I leave the hospital?

Will I be able to go home after being in the hospital?

Where will I go if I need to recover more before going home?

Do I need to stop taking any medicines before my surgery?

Aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), or other arthritis drugs?

Vitamins, minerals, herbs, and supplements?

Blood thinners such as warfarin, clopidogrel, or others?

Other prescription drugs that my other doctors may have given me?

What should I do the night before my surgery?

When do I need to stop eating or drinking?

What medicines should I take the day of surgery?

When do I need to be at the hospital?

What should I bring with me to the hospital?

Do I need to shower with any particular soap?

Alternative Names

What to ask your doctor before hip or knee replacement; Hip replacement - before - what to ask your doctor; Knee replacement - before - what to ask your doctor; Hip arthroplasty - before - what to ask your doctor; Knee arthroplasty - before - what to ask your doctor

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